Implantation or administration of human colonic microbiota into the bowel of a sick patient is called Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT). It is a therapeutic process originally designed to treat Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). It entails infusions through a colonoscope, an enema or via a nasojejunal tube of human microbiota either in the form of homogenized stool, extracts of homogenized stool, or cultured stool components such as Clostridia, to implant in the colon and so displace or eradicate the pathogenic Clostridium difficile; and it has a high success rate. In treating C. difficile infection, FMT is a highly efficacious treatment which carries well over a 90% cure rate with a single infusion and higher rate with multiple infusions. Hence, FMT can be life-saving given the current CDI mortality in the US of some 30,000 persons/year. This therapeutic process has also been used in treating other gut infective agents such as E. coli and Vancomycin resistant Enterococci (VRE).
There is growing demand for FMT primarily for the treatment of CDI. However, use of the therapy is restricted by the logistics of obtaining fresh FMT material from pre-screened donors in a timely fashion. Access to pre-prepared FMT material, stored frozen or lyophilized, would improve access to the therapy.